Collapsible or folding seat for young children



ILDREN Feb. 1, 1944. F. o. AYLOR- COLLAPSIBLE OR FOLDING SEAT FOR YOUNGCH Filed May 22, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fm/ war attornegs.

Patented Feb. 1, 1944 iTED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE R F0 YOUNG CLDING SEAT FOR HILDREN Frank 0. Aylor, Miami, Fla.

Application May 22,

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in collapsible or foldingseat for young child, and has in general the same purposes and objectsas those set forth in my co-pending application filed February 11, 1942,Serial No. 430,469.

The present invention, in common with the ing case, enabling the seat tobe carried about and transported with ease and economy.

The invention has for a further object to proall reasonable weights forwhich the same is adapted without the risk of casual or accidentalcollapse.

the claim appended hereto. In the drawings, wherein like symbols referto like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved collapsible or foldingseat for young child constructed in accordance with the presentinvention and illustrated in the collapsed or folded condition.

' l6 are pivoted to one case 1942, Serial No. 444,079 (01. 155 151)Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 33 in Figure 2,and

Figures 4 to 8 inclusive show fragmentary member of a containing case.

In the same way the seat is provided with side flanges M and end flangesIE to compose a second complemental encasing member.

To these two members are connected the seat legs l6 and the base legs41. These legs are preferably provided in pairs. The seat legs l6 arepivoted, one to each end of a beam I8 carried The case members areunconnected save through the legs.

A pivot or scissors bar 22 connects all four legs l6 and I! at theirintermediate portions, and a cross connecting bar 23 joins the free endportions of the two inner legs I 6. Thus the two inner legs It with thecross bars 22 and 23 form a leg assembly which pivots about one casemember II and within the other two legs l1 which with the pivot orscissors bar 22 constitute a second leg assembly having a pivotal motionabout the other case member. The pivot or scissors bar 22 is common tothe two leg assemblies and connects the same together for relativepivotal movement at their intermediate parts. The arrangement is suchthat two of the legs is and I? of each unit constitute a couple at eachside of the device.

On one case member, for instance it, is a block 24 having a step,stirrup or shoulder 2'5 extending substantially vertically and beingopen upwardly and toward the hinge pivots 2G and 2|. This block 24terminates in spaced relation to the adjacent end flange l3 to provideaccommodation for the cross connecting bar 23 between these parts in theinfolded condition of the parts, for which see Figures 2 and 4. Nails orother appropriate fastenings may be used to affix the block 24 to thebase 10.

- The free ends of the legs l and ii are provided with inclined edges 28and 21 respectively for mating with the plane surfaces of the membersIll and II in the erect position of the parts, for which see Figures 7and 8.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the nested, infolded or collapsed condition ofthe parts in which the flanges of the. case members come together toform a complete enclosure in which the folded leg assemblies areentirely contained and wholly concealed from view.

In opening the device for set-up, it may be convenient to proceed fromthe position shown in Figure 2 first to that shown in Figure 4, in whichthe seat member H is caused to hinge upwardly substantially about thepivots 23. This motion will necessarily to some extent entrain the legassemblies due to the drag upon the legs 1% which will transmit itselfto the companion legs I! only and necessarily by an upward pivotingmovement of the legs i! about the centers i. This initiates openingmovement of the legs, which is enhanced or increased by shifting thecase member H from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown inFigure 5 in which the case member H has not only been opened upwardly toa greater angular extent but has also been pushed back comparatively.The purpose in view is to not only open the legs to seat sustainingcondition but also to bring the cross connecting bar 22 to a positionabove the block where it may descend back of the shoulder or stirrup 25.In accomplishing this purpose the case member ll, while being opened upby the same original hinging movement, is pulled further back and isalso elevated, as shown in Figure 6, from its companion case member.When, by this action, the cross connecting bar 23 arrives at a suitableoverhead position with reference to the block 24, the seat leg assemblyI6 is rotated about the pivot bar 22 to further elevate the seat memberI l and to lower the cross connecting bar 23 to a position where it willrest on the block 24 in back of the step or shoulder 25, for which seeFigure 'I. When this is accomplished the case member I I may simply beallowed to fall or descend angularly about the pivot pins 20 to ahorizontal position where its free end portion will rest upon the freeend portions, now elevated, of the legs ll. The member H is thushorizontal and elevated and constitutes the seat while the member I0 isalso horizontal and provides a base for supporting the elevated seatupon a table or other support. It will be seen from Figure 8 that theinclined edges 21 and 28 of the legs afford substantial areas of thelegs in alignment with the plane surfaces of the case members with whichthey respectively engage.

The seat may be collapsed by reversing the movements as above described,the main purpose being to rotate both leg assemblies about the pivots 2|and at the same time to rotate the legs l6 about the pivot bar 22, whichcompanion or composite motion wll result in freeing the cross connectingbar 23 from the stirrup 25, thus leaving the leg assemblies free to becollapsed together about the scissors bar 22 and in the same act the twocase members to approach one another and to finally close upon the legassemblies in the manner of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The legs l6 and H at each side of the device reinforce and strengthenone another against side sway. The beam l8 and the cross connecting bar23 perform a like function inwardly of the legs 16 while the functionreferred to is being performed externally by the legs H. The beam l8,cross connecting bar 23 and the legs l6 form a rectangle which is astrong mechanical construction, the strength of which is increased bythe presence of the pivot or scissors bar 22. The rectangle isreinforced laterally by the legs I! and by the fact that these legs aretied to the pivot or scissors bar 2.2 and are reinforced againstspreading by lying inside the side flanges l2. Thus the parts nest andfold readily together without interference from one another and at. thesame time present a mutually reinforced construction of great strengthalthough. involving the use of oniy few parts simply designed where thecase members are entirely free, except for the leg connections, toeither pivot about one another or to move forwards or backwards ortowards and from one another in motions of trans-- lation which achievesreadily and quickly the opening and setting up of the device as well asits subsequent collapse and knock-down condiand moreover the deviceaffords a composition of movement of the case members and le assembliessuch as makes it very easy to bring the cross bar 23 into and out of itsengaging relationship to the stirrup 25. The construction of thisstirrup is such as to be centrally arranged, to distribute the stressand strain of support throughout the rectangular assembly and its sidereinforcement and yet the cross connecting bar 23 is free both forwardlyand above for quick positioning on the stirrup and its ready removal.

The parts may be made from wood, plastic or metal, and if desired thecase members may be faced with leather, or other appropriate material orupholstered or otherwise decorated.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of thefollowing claim.

What is claimed is:

In a collapsible or folding seat for a young child, a base member havingupstanding side and end flanges, a seat member having downwardlyextending side and end flanges, a beam secured to the seat member on theinside of end flange thereof and terminating short at both ends of thebeam from the side flanges of the seat member to provide spaces withinthe seat member, seat legs pivoted at their upper ends to the endportions of said beam within said spaces, base legs pivoted to the sideflanges of the base in substantially vertical line with the pivots ofthe seat legs both in the collapsed and the set-up position block andend flange to accommodate said cross of the parts, a scissors barconnecting all of the connecting bar in the folded position of theparts, legs at their intermediate portions, the two legs and a, shoulderrising up from the portion of the at each side of the device formingcollapsing and block nearest the last mentioned end member and adaptedto receive vaultingly thereover said cross flange thereof to provide aspace between the FRANK O. AYLOR.

